(August 30, 2017) - Craig Watson will not captain this year’s Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup team, the R&A announced Wednesday.

Watson stepped down as acting captain because of a serious illness in his immediate family. He is replaced by Andrew Ingram, who will now lead the GB&I squad in the Sept. 9-10 matches at Los Angeles Country Club.

Ingram, 57, represented Wales at the junior and youth level before going on to captain the Welsh men’s Home Internationals team on five occasions, including their victory in 2002.

He became chairman of the R&A Men’s Selection Committee in 2014 and has been chairman of the Teams and Performance Committee at the Golf Union of Wales for more than 10 years.

Ingram captained the winning European Junior Ryder Cup team in 2004 and also at Celtic Manor in 2006, where Europe retained the trophy. He currently plays to a 2-handicap and is a member at Royal Porthcawl.

Editors Note: Article by Brentley Romine of Golfweek

ABOUT THE The Walker Cup

The Walker Cup Match is a biennial 10-man
amateur
team competition between the USA and a team
composed of players from Great Britain and
Ireland
and selected by The R&A. It is played over two
days
with 18 singles matches and eight foursomes
(alternate-shot) matches.

The first United States Walker Cup Team, which
in
1922 defeated the GB&I side, 8-4, at the
National Golf
Links of America, is considered among the best
teams
ever and included Francis Ouimet, Bob Jones,
Charles
“Chick” Evans and Jess Sweetser. Many of the
game’s
greatest players have taken part in Walker Cup
competition, including U.S. Open champions Jack
Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth for the
USA
and Graeme McDowell, Rory McIlroy and Justin
Rose
for Great Britain and Ireland.